I Can Hear You
by daphrose
Summary: What do Donald's younger brother and Chase's older sister have common? More than they think. / "Everybody wants to be understood. Well, I can hear you. Everybody wants to be loved. Don't give up, because you are loved." ("Bob Zombie" spoilers)


**OHMYGOSH it's my seventieth story! *flaps arms excitedly* Holy cow! How did that happen? And it's a short little one-shot, but I'm still super-proud of it, especially because it touches on one of my favorite themes: daddy/daughter bonding, and in this case, Douglas/Bree bonding. :3**

 **This story takes place immediately after Bob Zombie, so if you haven't seen it yet, I suggest waiting to read, as spoilers are contained in here. I really wished there had been a scene like this in the actual episode, but there wasn't, so I took it upon myself to write it.**

 **This story is loosely based off the song "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" by Josh Groban. Lovely song if you haven't heard it yet.**

 **Get ready for loads of cheesy family fluff! I LOVE IT! :D I don't own Lab Rats or Starbucks, and enjoy!**

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 *** * * I Can Hear You * * ***

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Douglas leaned on the doorway and watched as his daughter typed away on her laptop. Her mouth moved as she wrote and her fingers flew, even without her super-speed. He stood there for a few minutes without saying a word, until: "Hey."

Bree jumped and slammed her laptop shut. She looked up at Douglas with a sheepish grin. "Hey yourself."

"What're you up to?"

"Nothing." She put her laptop on the table. "Why're you in here?"

Douglas came and sat down on the couch next to Bree. He twiddled his thumbs and looked at her. "I just wanted to say thank you. You know, for preventing me and Perry from actually getting married." He put a hand over his mouth to keep from gagging. The thought still disgusted him.

"No problem. But I don't think I did anything that spectacular."

"You saved me from a lifelong relationship with that she-devil! You may as well have saved my life in my book."

Bree looked down into her lap and laughed.

Douglas bit his lip and observed his daughter. She reminded him so much of . . . well . . . _himself_. Not only in looks, but in personality. She had shown a side of herself today that he didn't even know existed, and now that he knew it was there, he would do everything possible to coax it to come out more often.

He put a hand on her knee and she met his gaze. "I mean it," he said. "Bree, no one else thought of switching the documents. Not even Chase. You're a lot more clever than people give you credit for."

Bree folded her arms across her chest and leaned back. She whispered something to herself, and she thought Douglas didn't catch it, but he did: "Story of my life."

"Mine too," Douglas mumbled. "You know, growing up I was always 'Donald's younger brother.' Maybe that's why we didn't get along so well. My genius got overshadowed by his. And I thought that Chase was going through the same thing I did, but maybe I've this all backwards." He paused for a moment. "You're 'Chase's older sister,' aren't you?"

"According to all my teachers, yes," Bree said. "And sometimes Davenport." Her gaze flicked around the room as if searching for something, but she still never made eye contact with Douglas. "I mean, I know I'm a not a genius like he is, but I'm still smart."

"Then how come you graduated with a B average?"

Bree shrugged. "I guess I never saw the point in trying. I mean, Chase _is_ the smart one. It's not my place to get A's or define words or . . . or be clever. But hey, none of you nitwits were doing it this time, so I figured I might as well step in and save your sorry butts." She smiled, but it didn't stay.

"Hey, I didn't create you to be one-dimensional. You're more than a list of abilities. You know that."

"Maybe I wasn't taught that way."

"C'mon; Donald knows better than to raise you like that."

"He didn't use to, I guess. I grew up hearing that it was my job to be fast, and Chase's job to be smart, and Adam's job to be strong. He got better about it as we got older, but that kind of thing stuck."

"Wow." Douglas racked his brain for something else to say. "Well, for the record, you're very bright. Guess that's one of those things you get from me." He grinned.

"Thank you."

"Oh, and . . . I'm proud of you."

That seemed to catch Bree off guard. "You are?"

"Of course. Hey, you brought down a dictator today. How many people can say that?"

Bree began to smile. "I can say a lot of things most people can't say." She swallowed. "You're really proud?"

"Absolutely. I've only known you for, what, two years now? But I can tell that you're an amazing young lady. I mean, remember all that stuff with Giselle? I'm proud of you for all that."

"It's my fault Chase's life was in danger."

"Hey, it worked out. And besides, I'm proud of the way you were willing to give your own life to save the world. Pretty sure that's the exact definition of a hero." He took Bree's hand in his own. "You know, I'm not exactly the most reputable guy in the world."

"Oh, really?" Bree said, rolling her eyes. "I wonder why that is."

Douglas smirked. "I see you got your father's sarcasm as well. But seriously, Bree, I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. I don't want you slipping down the same path. All that jealously, and all that fear of what people would do if they found out your true potential—you've got to let go of that. I did a lot of bad things because I thought no one would care, and it wasn't until later that I found out they did. So if nothing else, know that I care about you."

Bree's smile widened. "Thank you. That means a lot. Davenport's never said anything like that to me. He says he's proud of our team, but I don't think I've ever made him proud in something that didn't involve bionics."

"Trust me, you have. He's just not good at expressing things like that. But look at you, Bree. How could he not be proud of you?"

Bree nodded and glanced down at her and her father's hands. "Why are you telling me all this stuff?"

Douglas shrugged. "Maybe because you're my daughter, and I've already missed so much of your life. I need you to know that I love the beautiful young lady you've become. Besides, you're so much like your old man, and I wish someone would've said all these things to me when I was your age."

"Then thank you. A lot. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Actually, I do," Douglas whispered to himself. He noticed the laptop on the table and said, "So, what were you working on before I came in?"

Bree pursed her lips and grabbed the computer. "Just something."

"Can I see?"

She contemplated it for a moment. "Fine. But you can't tell anyone." She typed in her password.

"It's got your birthday in it," Douglas mused.

"Most passwords do, don't they?"

"December 3, 1997. One of the best days of my life."

"Really?"

"Yup. I met a cute girl at Starbucks that day."

Bree rolled her eyes.

"And then I went home and created an even cuter girl. Well, you weren't so cute at the time. I mean, you were just a blob of—"

"I'm good!" Bree said, holding up her hands. "And _anyway_ , here's what I was working on."

"Hmm. A blog post?"

"Yeah. I've had a blog for a while, and I post about things I learn."

"'Lessons of Abnormal Life'?"

"Mmm-hmm. That pretty much sums up what I write about. None of my followers know I'm bionic. On here I can write about myself, minus what's expected of me as a bionic hero. It makes me feel more in control of my life."

Douglas nodded. "That's impressive, Bree."

"Please don't tell the boys or Davenport, though. This is my biggest secret."

"Nah, I get it. I appreciate you showing me."

"I thought you'd understand why I do this."

"I do. Well, I'll leave you to it. Thanks for the talk." Douglas stood.

"Thank to you too. I'm impressed you could get so affectionate."

"Yeah," Douglas scoffed. "Don't expect it again anytime soon. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so I hope you enjoyed it."

"I did. And to think, this all happened because our security guard became dictator of the bionic island and tried to marry you."

"Maybe that's why I'm so sappy." Douglas rubbed his head. "This whole day has messed me up. I think I'll go take a nap."

"You do that."

Douglas started to walk to the door, but before he did, he said, "Bree, don't be afraid to be clever. Don't hide the real you."

Bree nodded and Douglas went out the door. He looked back before he left the room and saw Bree type in the title of her new blog post: "Today I Learned That I Am Loved."

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 **Awwwwww. :3 So sappy, isn't it? Hopefully they didn't wind up out of character. ^^; I still tried to make them true to their sarcastic selves. It's why they're my favorites, after all. :3**

 **How did you guys like it? Leave reviews and let me know, because I'm not a mind-reader! Also, what did you think of Bob Zombie? I actually really liked Adam in that episode, which is rare for me. And obviously I adored Bree. First, super-cute dress at the wedding! Second, YOU GO GIRL! I'm so proud. :') I actually bruised my leg while flailing my arms when she said she switched the papers, I was so excited. XD (AlsothankyouBreeformakingsureDouglasandPerrydon'tgetmarriedewgross.) XD But I actually liked it. Now, if only they mentioned something about** ** _Marcus_** **, because I know we're still all freaking out about that!**

 **Anyway, review, favorite, and follow me for more stories! And also, guys, I'm super behind on reading stories and replying to PMs ("Yeah, Rosie, what else is new?" I know, I know, I'm sorry), so please be patient with me! It's the start of the school year, things are hectic, and fall is a strange season for me. (Also, I may leave for the month of November to participate in NaNoWriMo, but we'll have to see.) Anywho, thought I'd let you know. :) Reviews, favorites, yadda-yadda, thanks for reading, and bye. :3**


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